Supporting frame structures



Dec. 11, 1962 H. DEGEN SUPPORTING FRAME STRUCTURES Filed May 25, 1960FIGS FIG.4

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United States Patent 3,067,438 SUPPORTING FRAME STRUCTURES Hugo Degen,Oetlingerstrasse 152, Basel, Switzerland Filed May 25, 1960, Ser. No.31,624 Claims priority, application Switzerland Mar. 28, 1960 Claims.(Cl. 5-237) My present invention relates to improvements in frames forcouches, cots, lounges, divans, settees, convertibles, chaise longuesand similar places of rest. The improved frame disclosed by my inventioncomprises a batten grate or lath grate forming a place of rest, whichgrate comprises a plurality of flexible crosslaths consisting of gluedwooden battens and being supported at their ends.

In couches of this type known so far, the crosslaths at their ends aresupported in the vertical direction in a rigid and unyielding way andmanner. In such known couches, hard building materials are superposed oneach other, such as wood on wood or wood on metal, so that unpleasantsounds arise when the crosslaths are loaded and thus stretched.

In contradistinction to these known couch frames, the supporting meansfor said laths are made springy so that they resiliently yield both inthe vertical and horizontal directions. In this way, the crosslaths formor define a surface of rest which is adaptable to the body contours ofthe recumbent person.

One form of my present invention is shown in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the couch frame in perspective view;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a section of the frame in a largerscale;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of FIG. 2 in a plane passing through acrosslath, and

FIG. 4 is a cross-section through the lath grate under load of theweight of a recumbent person.

The frame shown in FIG. 1 comprises a base 1 to which is hinged aheadrest 2 which is lockable in various positions of inclination.Between the longitudinal sleepers of frame 1 are arranged crosslaths 3made of laminated and glued wooden elements. These laths 3 together forma lath grate and are resiliently mounted at both their ends. To suchend, the two longitudinal sleepers of base 1 are made wavy on top, andtheir wave crests form a series of points of support 1 (FIG. 2) to whichis secured a longitudinal elastic bearing and anchoring strip 4 ofU-shaped cross-section which may be made of rubber for example. Thecrosslaths 3, which are prestressed by being bent or deflected upwardly,have their ends engaged in the two rubber strips 4 intermediate of thepoints 1 of the longitudinal base sleepers to which said strips arefixed by means of screws 5 for example. When the crosslaths 3 areloaded, the bearing strips 4 may be resiliently deflected downwardly ordepressed at the points of bearing of the crosslath-ends between twowave-crests of the longitudinal base sleepers. The crosslaths themselvesthus are mounted resiliently both in the vertical and horizontalpositions of support and thereby form a place of rest which is capableof adapting itself to the body of a recumbent person, as indicated inFIG. 4. Furthermore, bothersome creaking and squeaking is avoided suchas is produced when wood contacts wood under load.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A couch frame comprising, in combination, a pair of substantiallyparallel relatively elongated and fixed side rails having relativelywide vertical surfaces and relatively narrow substantially horizontalupper and lower edges, the upper edge of each side rail undulating in avertical direction throughout at least the major part of its lengthalong a substantially regular curve having longitudinally spacedconvexly curved crests alternating with concavely curved troughs, therespective crests and troughs of the two side rails being laterallyaligned; a pair of relatively elongated substantially fiat strips ofelastic material each extending along the upper edge of a respectiveside rail, each strip normally lying in a substantially horizontal planeand being tangent to the crests of its associated side rail upper edgeand secured to said crests; and a plurality of longitudinally spacedlaterally extending cross-slats each connected at its opposite ends tosaid strips substantially midway between longitudinally adjacent pointsat which the strips are attached to the associated crests.

2. A couch frame, as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said resilientstrips comprises a longitudinally extending member folded about alongitudinally extending medial line around the ends of saidcross-slats.

3. A couch frame, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cross-slats areupwardly convex between their opposite ends.

4. A couch frame, as claimed in claim 1, wherein each cross-slat is alaminated wood structure prestressed to curve convexly upwardly betweenits opposite ends.

5. A couch frame, as claimed in claim 1, including a back rest hingedlyconnected to said side rails adjacent one end thereof and adjustablypositionable between substantially horizontal and substantially verticalpositions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 95,945Smith Oct. 19, 1869 103,548 Blake May 31, 1870 140,284 Leach June 24,1873 210,145 Pettit Nov. 19, 1878 215,923 Heywood et a1 May 27, 1879270,093 Miller Jan. 2, 1883 564,621 Jones July 8, 1896 1,455,239Childress May 15, 1923 FOREIGN PATENTS 64,192 Denmark Dec. 10, 1945

